The additions made Rangers GM Glen Sather look like a genius Wednesday, as they made immediate contributions in a 6-1 victory over the East-leading Pittsburgh Penguins. Brassard had a goal and three assists and Moore scored his first goal of the season. Plus, Ryane Clowe, acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, scored twice after seeing his first 65 shots of the season turned aside.

"The puck just hasn't been going in," Clowe said. "Coming here, fresh start, my gut feeling was telling me I would fit in pretty well here. So, it felt good to be out there tonight, and I felt like I fit into the game plan."

Clowe arrived in New York on a redeye flight. His only introduction to Rangers hockey was at Wednesday's morning skate. Brassard and Moore did not even have that much time to get acclimated.

"It's been a crazy day for me and my teammates," Brassard said. "We learned of the trade at like 3 or so, and by the time we packed everything (and flew in), we got to MSG about 15 minutes before warmups. Sometimes you play your best game when you don't worry about anything. The guys made us feel very comfortable when we got here and it was a great win."

It was a wild, memorable night at Madison Square Garden, one that would not have been possible had things worked out with Gaborik, who had nine goals and 10 assists in 35 games before agreeing to waive his no-trade clause and move to Columbus. Gaborik never seemed to click with John Tortorella, and while the coach of the Rangers insisted that it was nothing personal, the fact was that they were, for the most part, incompatible as player and coach.

"No matter what's gone on with him, he's a good man, and I'll miss him," said Tortorella, whose team now features one player from a former Warsaw Pact country in Czech defenseman Roman Hamrlik, a waiver claim earlier this season who was a healthy scratch Wednesday.

"I'll tell you right now, I'll miss him. He has grown as he has been with us. Quite honestly, when he first came here, I don't think he really had enough skin on him. He has skin on him, and I respect him, and I believe he'll get his game back. You could see his game coming. So, it's a tough one for me because I really like the guy, and I hope it works for him. I believe the deal will to work for both teams."

If the trade was not about personal clashes between inconsistent star and demanding coach, and Tortorella and the Rangers honestly did believe that Gaborik was showing signs of breaking out of a season-long slump (and he was — Monday night against Winnipeg, Gaborik was an offensive force despite not scoring), then there had to be another factor.

In fact, there were two things that spurred the Rangers to trade Gaborik — one on the ice, one off the ice. Both are valid, and Tortorella touched on both.

"Moving forward, and trying to sign (Derek) Stepan, and players like that, it gives us a little flexibility there," the coach said.

The Rangers have three key restricted free agents to take care of this summer. Along with Stepan, the entry-level deals of Carl Hagelin and Ryan McDonagh are set to expire. The Rangers also will face a decision on whether to re-sign Mats Zuccarello as a restricted free agent, and clearly will hope to re-sign Clowe as an unrestricted free agent after trading three picks to the Sharks to get the winger — described by Tortorella as having "jam," "bang" and "grind" — in a pre-deadline deal on Tuesday.

By trading away Gaborik's $7.5 million cap hit, and bringing in Brassard, Dorsett and Moore, the Rangers saved a little more than $1.7 million while adding two extra players to their ranks. They now have 16 players under contract for 2013-14, at a cap charge of slightly less than $49.6 million. That leaves $14.7 million for re-signings and any additional summer imports.

Trading Gaborik gives the Rangers more than "a little flexibility." It frees them to pursue free agents at a bargain when other rivals head into the summer with cap uncertainty.

The Philadelphia Flyers, for instance, already project to be over the $64.3 million cap, although Chris Pronger spending the rest of his contract on long-term injured reserve does provide them with a little wiggle room. There will be further space created with amnesty buyouts for Danny Briere, Ilya Bryzgalov, or both.

The future is one thing, but the Rangers also find themselves battling for a playoff spot that they were expected to easily secure a year after finishing first in the Eastern Conference.

"I think the deal helps us with depth, period — forwards and defense," Tortorella said. "What I think we get with Dorsett ... is a little bit of the grind that we're missing right now. Brassard and Moore, you get a little bit more skill, skating, and then we'll see how it goes.

It went well enough on Wednesday that it was actually possible to see the logic of a team trading away a superstar in the middle of a playoff race.